Cupcakes: The Sequel
by Angel Ren
Summary: Remember when Bella and Edward make Cupcakes? See Cupcakes, by AngelRen We saw through Bella's eyes, and a bit through Emmett's. But what was Edward thinking the whole time? Now you can find out! Cupcakes: Revisited. Pure Fluffathon. ExB
1. Ingredients

If you haven't already, check out _Cupcakes_ by AngelRen. It's the prequel.

so I lied. Sorry guys. But you love me for it. I added more, after all. NOW I'm finished with it." -Ren, when she posted part seven of Cupcakes.

Remember when I said that? Remember how I lied before when I finished with six? Apparently I'm a filthy liar. I loved this so much, I'd re-read it from time to time. And as I was reading, I'd be thinking about what Edward was doing or thinking. And then I decided maybe I should just rewrite the damn thing from Edward's perspective (so it's quite a bit longer). So here it is!

(Oh boy.) Lemme know what you think!

_Cupcakes,_ Part 1: Ingredients

Government. What was it with this course? I knew ten times more about the history and construction of the different eras of government than this pompous windbag could ever dream of understanding. Little did he know that I had taken the same course from his father, some decades ago. Perhaps it was a good thing he didn't look through the old record files. The course had only been slightly different then, same boring principles, same boring, monotonous voice. Must be hereditary.

"And so, in honor of the celebration, we will be having a party in class tomorrow." My ears perked. What was he talking about? I quickly tore my gaze from Bella and my mind from the past.

_This will be so much fun! I need a break, too. If they keep handing in papers every day, I'll never get them graded! This will be the perfect excuse for me to catch up. I doubt anyone will mind, either._

What in heaven's name was he thinking about?

"I would like each one of you to prepare a special homemade dish to share with the class tomorrow. As easy as it might be to go out and buy something, I want this homemade." He wasn't serious. I looked swiftly over to Bella.

She looked thoughtful. Divine, even. I could only imagine what was running through her head. The angel was very good in the kitchen, from what I understood from the people she cooked for. She probably had an arsenal of different dishes to bake and was trying to sort through them all. I watched her lips move slightly as she spoke in a whisper.

"Lemon squares."

I just stared. Bella was going to make lemon bars? I couldn't help but smile slightly. Her eyes suddenly turned and locked onto mine, a delicious blush colored her cheeks. I clenched my teeth together, feeling the venom start to flow. I tried to smile.

"Are you going to bake lemon bars?" I inquired tightly. The monster was already subsiding as her blush faded. Bella bobbed her brunette head up and down in response.

"Yes. What about you? What will you make?" I just stared at her. I had no idea. What was I going to make? I couldn't make anything. I had no idea how to make anything. Did I have to make something? No, of course not.

"Nothing," I replied with a smile. Bella scowled.

"You have to make something," she persisted. How I loved the way her eyes sparked to life when she was angry. The blush on her cheeks was intoxicating.

"No I don't. I just won't come to school tomorrow." Bella's face changed from a scowl to anger. Why was she angry? Was it something I said? I can't cook, and therefore I wasn't going to. Why would she be angry? Perhaps she thought it was some kind of personal insult? It was so incredibly frustrating not to know what she was thinking!

_Edward looks like he's fighting with Bella. Maybe I'll ask her about it later…_

I ignored Mike Newton. Besides, turning and snarling at him wouldn't have helped anything. Bella was still glaring at me. Her deep brown eyes glanced around, and she finally looked back, satisfied no one was within earshot. Her voice rushed out in a hissed whisper.

"Look, just because there's one tiny thing you might not be able to execute flawlessly doesn't mean you can just quit! That's cheating. You, Edward Cullen, are going to bake something, and I'm going to help you." I sat back a little bit, startled by her. Her expression was priceless. Her brows furrowed, her lips puckered into a pout. She was trying to act angry and scary. I couldn't help it. I started to laugh softly. Her expression then turned incredulous, then sheepish. Perhaps someday I would just surrender the concept of wishing to get inside her mind. It simply wasn't going to happen, no matter how much I desired it.

"Alright, you win. You're truly terrifying," I smirked. She blushed. When the class was dismissed, we walked hand in hand out the door.

_What's Edward got that I don't?_

I chuckled softly at Newton. He had no idea. Bella cast me a peculiar look and I just smiled mysteriously. She looked frustrated. Her frustration disappeared when I opened the passenger door for her. Her thin, frail body folded into the Volvo and I forced myself to walk slowly to the driver's side and slide in beside her.

Within the minute, we were racing home. I was going to take her by my place first. Maybe I could convince her to help me bake something. I still had no idea what. The idea of having to swallow such pride was… unfathomable. Alice would know. Perhaps I could keep it from the others. I could bribe Alice… perhaps the Turbo. She'd probably be waiting inside the door when I got there to tell me what I could give her.

"Edward?"

I glanced over to Bella. She looked confused. "We're home," she continued. I glanced on the windshield. The Volvo was parked in the driveway, I had already killed the engine and had been sitting in the driver's seat, thinking. I nodded to her and got out, moving at my natural pace to her side to open the door for her. I heard her heart rate increase. Gathering her things, we headed inside.

Bella moved quickly into the kitchen, and I glanced around for any sign of Alice. Where was everyone? The house was conspicuously empty. I listened, following behind her.

_London Bridge is falling down, falling down, London bridge is falling down, my fair lady!_

So Alice was thinking something she didn't want me to hear, clearly.

_Alice feels particularly excited… I wonder what's going on. I smell Bella. They must be home._

I could only find Jasper and Alice. None of the others seemed to be around.

_Damn wrench._

I heard a clatter from the garage. So Rosalie was here, too.

"Edward? I was thinking cupcakes. They're pretty easy." Cupcakes. Cupcakes! It couldn't be something more masculine like… like… seasoned trout or something. It had to be cupcakes.

Again, I turned to look at Bella. She was smiling, looking down at the list. Was I really going to let her show me how to bake cupcakes? It wasn't too terrible to not go to school. Really, she was being insensible again. I'd be more that happy to hover about her while she made her lemon squares.

"Is this really necessary?" I had a thousand reasons in my head why I _didn't_ need to humble myself. Her whole body stiffened, and she raised her head. I watched as she stared at the wall, swallowing. Slowly, she turned to face me, trying to look determined. When her eyes met mine, they floundered. Her heartbeat became erratic. Soon, her breathing ceased all together.

"Bella?" What if she didn't start breathing again?

"Yes, Edward…?" Her voice was light, frail.

"You're not breathing again," I pointed out. I watched as she quickly looked away, inhaling deeply. I felt a tiny smile prickle at my lips when her heartbeat returned to normal. Her heartbeat was my favorite sound. I loved the way it drummed. Its cadence, though not unlike any other heartbeat, was unique. I'm not sure how it was unique, but I know I could pick her heartbeat out of a room of strangers. Inexplicably.

"Well, Edward. Do you want to bake your own cupcakes? Or would you like me to do it for you?" My smile faltered. I could feel my lips tense together. I glanced to her quietly. Did she really expect me to answer that I had no desire to bake anything at all? I didn't much like humiliating myself. I bet I could look up a recipe on the internet. It wouldn't be too hard. Just follow the directions, right? If I followed them, I wouldn't need to taste it to make sure they were alright.

"I can bake my own cupcakes," I replied curtly. Perhaps too sharply. I checked Bella's expression. She didn't seem offended. Only… amused. What was that girl thinking?

"Can you?" Her gaze was mesmerizing. If this was what she meant by dazzling, I could understand. I could get lost in her eyes. "You know, one of the most important parts about cooking is being able to taste what you've made. What have you baked recently?" Her voice interrupted me. I glared, perhaps a bit childishly. How often I chose to indulge in baking some human food was no testament to my ability.

"You're not upset because there's one teeny, tiny, little thing that this pathetic human can do that you can't, are you?" My eyes widened. I could feel the shock, and I quickly looked around the kitchen for something to occupy my mind with. This was ridiculous. At least it was only Bella. I could handle enduring this for her. My sweet, precious angel. As long as no one else knew… and then I heard it. I cringed.

"Edward's baking?" Where the hell did Emmett come from? I swear he wasn't here before. Why did he have to come home now? I wondered if Alice told him. I pressed my lips together thinly, trying to calm myself down before turning to face him. I was pretty sure I had arranged my expression into something close to polite.

_Edward's baking… Eddie's baking… heh… that's funny. Pink apron, too?_

All pretenses of politesse were off. Bella turned to look at Emmett. Emmett was smirking back at me. My hands clenched into fists. I tried to control the urge to punch him. Calming myself, I began to explain slowly.

"Bella is going to assist me in making… cupcakes." I tried not to choke on the last word.

"Cupcakes, eh?" Emmett moved into the kitchen, glancing around. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bella looking between the two of us, worried. I pressed my lips together tightly.

"Yes. See, in one of our classes, everyone in the class was asked to bring something homemade for the bake exchange tomorrow… and… well," Bella trailed off. I smiled down at her tenderly. She really did want me to try this baking thing and had no interest in destroying my dignity. Sweet angel. I sighed.

"It's alright Bella… you can say it," I murmured quietly to her. Perhaps I could stay calm. I could do this for Bella, undergo sacrifices. If I did it for Bella, then it wouldn't be so humiliating. I could bake cupcakes with dignity.

"Say what? That Edward can't cook?" Or perhaps not. I let my anger get the best of me. The rush was incredible, and punching Emmett felt great. I smirked as Emmett landed across the room from the impact, looking surprised.

"I said _Bella_ could say it. Not you." There was a difference. Emmett needed to figure this out. I glared at his scowling face and moved over next to Bella. "Now, what do we need to get?" She was blushing. I wasn't entirely sure how well I would be able to keep my concentration on baking fluffballs of dough with Bella around. I was so intoxicated by her presence, I barely caught what she said as she handed a list to me.

I glanced down, looking over it. Eggs, oil, mix, measuring cups and decoration. Shouldn't be too difficult.

"Shouldn't take too long," I commented, breezing over it a second time.

_Ooo! Shopping!_

I groaned and rolled my eyes.

"Can I come?" Emmett peeked over my shoulder at the list. My hands itched to punch him again, but Bella was far too close for me to risk losing control like that again. I glared at him.

"Why do you want to come?"

"Well, Bella's always a riot. I figured there might be entertainment in the grocery store. Please please?" Without looking to her, I could smell Bella's blush.

"Of course you can't go," I said quickly. This was ridiculous. I didn't want sweet Bella being humiliated in front of Emmett. Not after she was helping me with this. Besides. Emmett was obnoxious. There was no way I was going to let him go. Absolutely not. Not in my car, anyway.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Emmett turn his attention on Bella. No… he better not, absolutely not. He wasn't going to…

But he did.

"Please Bella? Please can I come? I'll be good, I promise. If you say yes, Edward will _have_ to let me."

I couldn't believe it, but Emmett did it.

"Emmett. That's low, begging Bella and using her against me," I growled. I was not about to let him use Bella into tricking me into letting him embarrass her. That made perfect sense.

"Well, I don't have a problem with it, Edward…"

I sighed. I couldn't win.

"Oh alright! I'll go get the car," I growled, marching outside. I threw open the door and stalked over to the Volvo, yanking the door open. I slid inside and let out a deep sigh. I couldn't believe I just agreed to take Emmett to the Thriftway.

_Huzzah! Bella and me are gonna have so much fun!!_

Heaven help me.


	2. Cabbage!

Lookie lookie! I did another! This Edward-POV thing is insane. It's like a marathon. I'm sad to admit that I don't feel like this one was as much in-character as I would've liked. However, I still like it. ::Watches everyone go away:: wait, wait but it's funny! Even without it being a perfect Edward! Come baaaack::No one's left:: ….aw.

And now, I'm going to go bake some cupcakes. Yay!

_Cupcakes_, Part two: Cabbage!

_Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord…_

I threw a glare at Emmett as he slid into the backseat of the Volvo. Emmett was like having a miniature radio in your head. One that just wouldn't shut up. Bella was quiet while I drove. Granted it didn't take long, but it felt close to eternity with the variety of songs Emmett decided to think about.

The streets flew by, I was hardly conscious of anything other than Emmett's obnoxious thoughts and Bella's rhythmic heartbeat. The soft hum of the engine lulled me into a quiet thought pattern. Before too long, I was sliding neatly into one of the parking spaces, and shutting off the engine.

I heard Bella's door open on my right side.

_Splash._

Before she could even get out of the car, Bella had managed to slip and fall. I was at her side in a second: I could smell her scent in the air. It was light and relatively inoffensive but still a reason for concern. I eased her to her feet, biting back a smile as her heart stuttered slightly.

"I'm fine. Really. Just… wet," she began. Emmett was howling with laughter, still in the safe confines of the car. It was misting now, and she was sure to catch cold if she got any more damp. But important things first.

I sought out the source of the alarm. I caught her hand and carefully raised it up to inspect it. It was scratched up, but there was no open wound. Thank goodness. I was sure it was throbbing with pain, however. Without thinking, I brushed my lips across it before releasing her.

Even with the light mist, she was already quite wet. Shrugging out of my superfluous coat, I forcibly set it upon her shoulders and guided her inside before she injured herself once more. Perhaps we could finish this potentially disastrous expedition before Emmett rolled out of the car. Perhaps.

I watched her as she went and picked up a plastic arm basket. Bella knew precisely what we needed and where to get it. I bit back a smile and followed behind her swiftly.

We wandered down an aisle, strange cardboard boxes staring out at me. Bella paused, regarding a shelf contemplatively. Without any warning, she turned to look at me.

"What sort of cupcakes would you like to make?"

I just stared at her. What… sort? What was she talking about? I didn't want to make any sort of cupcakes, but that was apparently out of the question. Even though I knew she wanted an answer, I couldn't help but revel in the dreamy look that flushed over her face. Her cheeks hued, her scent heightened, her eyes softened… she was absolutely gorgeous. I had no right to lay any sort of claim on such a beautiful-

_Whoa. Who's she? She's gorgeous! Smokin' hot. Oh. There's a guy with her. Figures. I bet they have lots of fun at night._

If I had blood, it would've boiled. How dare they think of Bella like some kind of lunchmeat.

"Hey you two kids, get a room!" The monster was free. I had no control. When they spoke in her direction like she was some sort of strumpet, I turned and snarled. I felt Bella stiffen slightly beside me and I pulled her into my arms protectively on instinct. The only thing in my mind was trying to calm the feral monster that wanted nothing more than to rip the two men to shreds.

_I remember the days when my love life was like that… Patty's not so much into it anymore. Ah, the fires of first love…_

Their thoughts faded as they continued to walk away, and only then was I able to control myself.

Her eyes helped. I looked into her deep, wide eyes, and I was lost in their chocolaty depths. They were so warm and forgiving… so fearless and courageous. I decided that I liked chocolate. Chocolate suddenly sounded wonderful, even to a person who cannot eat.

"Chocolate. Definitely chocolate…" If I had to pick a favorite flavor, it would be chocolate. Though, white chocolate matched the hue of Bella's skin… but when she blushed it was more of a strawberry, and her lips were definitely cherry red. This was proving more difficult than I had anticipated.

"What sort of chocolate?" …There was more than one kind? Chocolate wasn't just… chocolate?

"What do you mean what sort?"

"I mean, 'what sort'." She gestured toward the visual display of aesthetically pleasing cardboard boxes. Was something different about them? They were all chocolate. I stepped closer to look at them. I'd never seen so many kinds of chocolate before. I didn't even know this many different kinds existed.

"Well…" I didn't know what to say. I had no idea which to pick. I scanned through them, each box after the other claiming to be the very best. Each box couldn't be the nation's number one choice, and yet they all claimed so. It was overwhelming.

I heard a snigger on my right. I glanced down at Bella out of the corner of my eye. As I did so, she turned away sheepishly, trying to hide her face.

"Sorry," She murmured. I let it drop. I couldn't believe she found this funny.

"What sort of chocolate tastes best?" I inquired as politely as possible in the circumstances.

"Depends on your preference. It's sort of like heroin," she said casually. I was halfway-through the nutrition information on the Weight Watchers 2-point cupcake mix when I stopped reading. Everything I had just read was gone from my memory. I spun and faced her, trying to control my shock into something halfway casual. Judging by the way her eyes widened and her heart accelerated, I believe I failed. But she continued on, brazenly, much to my mounting horror.

"It's like Grizzly to Lion. All the same, really, but yet different." I was speechless. I had no idea what to say to that. She was comparing cupcakes to our savage, abominable behavior. Like it was some kind of game. Wildly, I looked back to the boxes. We needed to get out of this aisle before she said anything more. But Bella will be Bella, and, thoroughly amusing herself, she continued still.

"I prefer milk chocolate, but Renee likes dark. Really, everyone who likes chocolate generally likes milk chocolate, so you can't go wrong with that. And even-" That was it; I didn't want to hear anymore. Milk chocolate it was. I grabbed the nearest box and turned. As quickly as I could manage without drawing any undue attention on us, I marched out of the aisle. I didn't want to know how much further this conversation could go.

I heard her footsteps behind me, then alongside as she caught up. I tossed a look over my shoulder at her, and laced my fingertips with hers. Bringing her hand to my lips, I kissed it softly, delighting in the stutter her heart yielded. Would it work twice…? I tried, and her heart did that flip-flop again. Chuckling softly, I led the way toward the cashiers. Emmett still wasn't in sight.

"Oh!" I stopped and turned to face Bella. What was it now? Surely she hadn't thought of anything else to compare my diet to.

"What is it?" I asked. I studied her features for a moment, trying to understand what was going through her mind. Nothing. She seemed fine, however. Her heart rate was normal.

"We still need some things," she said. What more could we possibly need? I wasn't quite sure how much longer I would withstand this. I glanced down to the piece of paper in my hand and deftly unfolded it. _Eggs, oil, mix, measuring cups, decoration. _Surely that couldn't be too painful.

"Eggs and cooking oil, right?" I glanced to the little cardboard box in the basket to be sure. Bella beckoned to see the box, and I reluctantly handed it over to her. She nodded in assent after scanning the back side.

"Do you have measuring cups in your kitchen by any chance?" I chuckled softly and glanced over at her as she set the box back into the basket.

"Bella. What could we possibly eat that would require measuring cups?" As soon as I saw that spark return into her eyes, I regretted the words.

"…You could make a Mountain Lion Smoothie…"

"Bella!" I all but growled at her, fighting my temper. I couldn't believe she could take this so lightly. We were monsters! We fed off of other living creatures to survive. Why couldn't she understand this? And yet, as peculiar as ever, she wasn't afraid. Unlike any other human, she didn't seem to mind the fact that we… consumed blood. Isabella Swan was perfectly at ease around a family of vampires. Incredible.

But still, she shouldn't get complacent. "You really take this too coolly, you know? Couldn't you at least _think_ about the implications of that?" Accidents happen.

"Really, Edward. Maybe it isn't that I take it too coolly, maybe you take it too seriously. After all, it's only normal." In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to know what she was thinking. Didn't it _bother_ her at all? If it did, she gave no outward signs of it and took everything we did in stride. I watched her wander away.

"You're incredible," I murmured, leaning in to kiss her ear lightly. So many thoughts rolled through my head as I strolled after her mindlessly. I vaguely realized we had paused before the dairy as Bella went about selecting a half a dozen eggs. I was so wrapped up in pondering this living, breathing enigma before me that I didn't hear him until he was right behind us.

_This is gonna be fuuunnn…_

"Boogah Boogah!"

Bella screamed and clutched the eggs. I wanted to punch Emmett so dearly, but Bella had collapsed. I quickly caught her and pulled her against me, her feeble hands clinging to my shirt. She was hyperventilating, and I stroked her hair, trying to calm her pounding heart. When she seemed more stable, I gently eased her onto her feet, carefully taking the eggs from her. It took me two and a half seconds to check all six eggs. They were still in tact. Somehow. With no thanks to Emmett.

Setting them aside, I turned and growled at him. He was lying on the floor, rolling with laughter. Poor Bella. She was so likely to hurt herself as it stood, Emmett did not need to be _causing_ problems. She could've been hurt!

"If you weren't rock solid I'd punch you right now," she growled out. I felt a smirk twitch at my lips. I glanced down to her; she was all hunched over, clutching her sides, glaring at Emmett.

"I'll punch him for you later," I promised. Emmett was one thing. Right now, there were more important things. Her heart was racing, and carefully I took her chin between my fingers. So fragile… like hand-blown glass. Just one wrong twitch and she could be gone forever.

And yet she took that chance. Why she chose to risk her life around me, I'll never understand, but I'll forever be grateful to it. Gently, I took her face between my hands, expecting her to shy away from my unearthly coldness. Still, she didn't. Bella never ceased to amaze me.

I leaned in and softly brushed my lips over hers. Her heart fluttered and I felt her muscles relax. I reached forward and took the shopping basket from her before she dropped it. I kissed her again, and warm Bella stepped closer. Her arms wrapped around me invitingly. For a brief moment, I had forgotten we were in a store.

A second later, Emmett was quick to remind me. I wasn't sure how he was able to form the plot to hit me with the cabbage without me hearing it – perhaps I was too distracted by the startled girl in front of me – but there was, without any trace of doubt, a cabbage on my head. As calmly and controlled as possible, I held out the basket for Bella to take.

"Here, Bella. You almost dropped the eggs when I kissed you," I murmured. Her sweet scent flooded my senses as a blush rushed to her cheeks. I was plotting all the different ways I could possibly extract revenge upon Emmett in the store, and each one was less appealing than the other. "Is there anything else we need? For the cupcakes?" I murmured softly to Bella, half-distracted. I would wait until we arrived home. Then it would be war.

"Cooking oil," she said. I barely heard her and nodded. She moved and started walking. I glanced away from Emmett to Bella, and saw her heading for the aisle. I caught her arm before she got too far away.

"Bella, I'll get the oil. Why don't you go get whatever you'd like to decorate my cupcakes with?" Emmett burst out laughing. I started, and then quickly realized what he meant. It was taking every sheer ounce of will not to attack him in the store. I growled, "That wasn't supposed to be like _that_!"

Images of Emmett and Rosalie flashed though his mind. Images I rather didn't want to see. I quickly tuned out his thoughts and glanced down as Bella scurried off, red as usual. Emmett collapsed onto the floor, laughing.

After shaking all the cabbage out of my hair, I decided perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to keep some of it… …it might come in handy. Payback, they say, is a bitch.

"Decorate – ha ha – Bella's going to decorate – heh heh – your cupcakes…Ha," he choked out, hardly able to breathe. Pity it wasn't necessary. I would've liked to have seen him suffocate right about now.

I watched Emmett roll around on the floor, laughing. On occasion, he would murmur something to do with Bella, myself, or the cupcakes. Most of it was incomprehensible. Not that Emmett was particularly good at structured, grammatical sentences. I just watched him coldly.

His laughter subsided, and he slowly climbed to his feet, still sniggering. By the time Bella returned, he was just grinning like an idiot. How I wanted to punch him…

"Anything else, Bella?" I asked, barely taking my eyes off of Emmett. Her head shook back and forth in a 'no' fashion. Without waiting for anything else, I took the items from her and made my way to the checkout. I brushed through the line, hearing the faint flutter of the cashier's heart. I handed her cash and moved out the door without waiting for change. I was about to do something I would regret if I didn't get away from Emmett. I paused long enough to open the door for Bella, shut it gently after she was in and deposit the groceries in the trunk of the Volvo before sliding behind the wheel.

"Where's Emmett?" I was half-inclined not to answer, but that would've been rude to Bella. She didn't deserve that. So I answered as honestly as I could without getting angrier.

"Don't care." The engine roared to life, and I flattened the pedal against the floor.

"What about Emmett," she continued. I glanced in the rearview mirror to buy myself some time. Why did she honestly care after what he'd done to her?

"He can run home," I replied. I glanced over at her blushing expression, and the anger disappeared almost instantly. I couldn't help it; I grinned. "Besides, I'd rather be alone with you than be pelted with cabbage." Bella smiled, and blushed even more.

"Where did it go? The cabbage, I mean?" Leave it to Bella to notice. I chuckled softly then looked to her face again. She honestly was serious. Bella wanted to know what I had done with then cabbage. I just smiled at her and glanced back to the road. We'd be home soon.

Baking cupcakes suddenly seemed much less ominous.


	3. Cabbage's Revenge

Lookie! Another chapter! This is a really long one. But that's Edward's fault. Hooray. I'd hoped to have it out by Christmas… but that didn't happen. Happy New Year!

_Cupcakes_ Revisited, Part Three: Cabbage's Revenge

I stopped the Volvo, and stepped out of the car. I had Bella's door open for her. Once she stepped out, I shut the door and retrieved out cupcake items from the trunk of the Volvo. Stepping inside behind her, I moved around her and into the kitchen.

I unpacked the bag, setting the ingredients out. I picked up the box of cupcake mix and studied the infernal box before walking over to the pantry. As vampires, we had acquired very few kitchen necessities, and the few that we had were for other reasons. The bowl had been for mixing some form of home made silly putty. Emmett had thought it would be fun to make a grape-fruit sized ball of putty.

We learned that silly putty bounced. Quite a bit, actually. Like those superball toys that go ricocheting everywhere. Esme had been so angry. I bit back a smile and took down the bowls from the only shelf that held anything. I moved over to the counter before turning to face Bella.

She was lovely. Radiant. Her chocolate eyes were sweeping over the empty pantry door. I wished I could read her mind – understand what she was thinking. What could possibly be so fascinating about an empty storage place? Her gaze was mesmerizing. She studied the shelves like gold, her lovely teeth biting into her plump bottom lip. I cleared my throat.

"Aren't you going to start?" I asked. Her eyes turned to look at me. A smile spread across those lovely lips.

"No. You're baking. I'm helping. So get to it," she said, grinning mischievously. I tensed, my breathing stopped. I just stared at her. She was kidding, right? …She wasn't. She was just staring at me. Waiting for me to… bake. I shuddered.

"So… what do I do?" Best get this over with. At least everyone was out, no one was here to witness my humiliation. I was sure Alice had foreseen this. What I didn't understand was, _why wasn't she here to gloat?_ I would have to question her motives later. There were more pressing problems. Bella was biting her bottom lip and I could see the muscles in her cheek tensing. She was fighting a smile.

"There are directions on the box. Just read them and follow," she said. I just stared at her for a moment. I turned my back to her so she wouldn't see as I rolled my eyes. Picking up the box, I scanned it for directions. Nutrition Information. What did this mean again? Oh, right. Humans counted calories. To stay thin. I wondered of Bella cared that this box made six servings, and each serving had 250 calories? I doubted it. Bella wasn't the type to care about her figure. Besides. Her figure was perfect.

_Add one cup water, half cup oil, and three eggs. Mix by hand for 300 strokes, or until batter is smooth without lumps... Pour into pan. Cook for 15-20 minutes. Let cool. Decorate._ That didn't seem too difficult. I could handle that. I popped open the box, poured the powdery contents into the bowl. I added the precise measurement of water and oil. I picked up the eggs and froze. I could feel the fragility of the eggshell beneath my hands the same way I could feel Bella's pulse beneath her skin. I could hold her without breaking her.

I stared at the egg. It wasn't quite the same. I had to crack the shell and pull it apart… without shattering it into a thousand pieces. I felt my fingertips flex slightly. Stifling a groan, I decided to drag my remaining dignity through the mud in lieu of ruining the mix with a thousand shards of eggshell.

"Bella?" I waited. Would she laugh? Would she be frightened? She should be frightened. She should be terrified. But she wasn't. Not yet. She'd probably react in her predictably unpredictable pattern. That meant I couldn't dream of what her reaction would be. If only I could see into that cursed blocked mind of hers.

"Yes?" Her heartbeat grew minutely louder, her scent became more intense, and I heard the shuffle of her feet across the floor. Heat radiated from her body in waves with her intoxicating scent as she stood next to me.

"I…" I paused and took an unnecessary deep breath. "Don't think I can crack the eggs… without shattering the shell," I spoke softly, looking down at the small egg in my hand. I glanced to Bella's expression, hoping it would give me some much-desired hint at what she was thinking. Her expression was cool, devoid of any emotion. She didn't appear amused, nor afraid. The soft shudder that racked her spine and the thud in her heartbeat did not go unnoticed. Perhaps she was afraid. She should be. Wordlessly, she took the eggs from me and smacked them on the bowl.

I watched, enraptured as her slender fingers grasped the delicate object with the precise amount of force. Skillfully, she rapped it against the bowl, and then her delicate digits pried the shell apart slowly until the goop dripped into the bowl. Tossing that shell into the sink, she did the same with the other two eggs. It was addicting.

She turned to me in a movement that, to a human, would've been swift. To me, it was like slow motion. Her hair fanned around her frame as she turned, her scent spiraling around me. She thrust the bowl toward me.

"Mix," she commanded. I obliged. It took less than a second. I handed the bowl back to her.

"Done," I said. Bella looked startled.

"What?" She leaned closer, looking confused. I smirked.

"Finished." I recited the directions back to her, enjoying the bewildered look on her face. It really didn't take much. As if she doubted me, she looked into the bowl. The batter was smooth as glass.

"Well… that didn't… take long…" I tried not to smile. Really, I did. I couldn't help it. I grinned at her. A blush arose across her cheeks as she turned away. My smile widened as her fragrance filled the room. "Does it work?" Does what work? I snapped from my thoughts as I followed her gaze. She was looking at Carlisle's oven. Again, I wondered what she was thinking.

I walked over and stood beside her, studying her expression. Did she expect me to answer that? I'd never used an oven before. I'd never needed to.

"Let's find out?" I offered tentatively.

"You know, for money not being an issue, I'd think you'd have an up-to-date kitchen," she said. I rolled my eyes, but Bella didn't see the gesture.

"Bella, no one really needs the kitchen, and on the off-chance a visitor came by, they wouldn't really come into the kitchen, much less inspect our oven," I pointed

"But this looks like it came from the 18th century!"

"It probably did," I murmured. Carlisle had had that oven since before he found me. Precisely how much longer he had that oven, I never knew.

"Okay, well, since that's sort of _your_ era, why don't _you_ turn it on? Besides, if it blows up, you're indestructible." My era? I made a mental note to go over some history with Bella. My era was all of eighty years ago. This oven was two hundred, give or take a few.

"Fire, remember?" I smirked playfully at her. Truth be told, I really didn't want to prove I was completely incompetent. I couldn't bake, and yet I was baking cupcakes. Now she was asking me to prove I couldn't even operate an oven.

"Okay, fine. I'll try and turn this behemoth on," she said. Thank the stars. Bella was going to try it for me. I wouldn't have to destroy the remainder of my dignity. Ovens don't really explode, so there was no danger. I didn't think. I'd never heard of a human being killed by an exploding oven, but what if it were possible? What if there were a chance that the old oven just… _could_ explode? With my Bella in its line of fire? Unacceptable.

"You don't think it will really explode, do you? I've never heard of ovens exploding before, but if there's a chance, maybe I should-"

"Edward, ovens don't explode," she chastised me. I just stared at her, still concerned. I didn't want to think about what would happen if the oven exploded. "Not unless you put gunpowder inside of them. I can turn it on," she continued. I watched her as her hands moved over the ancient piece of metal. I was a breath away from grabbing her and thrusting her behind my body when she stopped. "Actually, Edward… maybe you should turn it on."

Would it explode?

"Why's that? Do you think it will-"

"Not explode. I just don't know how. I only know how to work modern appliances," she said. I watched her carefully. Dear, sweet, trusting Bella. She believed I would know any better than she would. I grasped her waist and pulled her back a little ways before stepping in front of her.

I leaned over the ancient – by my standards, even – piece of machine and studied it. I found the working mechanisms and using a match, I was able to strike and light the thing. Unfortunately, in my intense concentration, I never heard Emmett coming.

"Boom!"

I'll admit, for a fraction of a second, I thought the oven really _had _exploded. Then I became aware of two distinct things. Emmett. And Bella.

Emmett was rolling on the ground laughing, his thoughts in a similar cacophony of disarray.

_Holy shit, man, that was great! Bella's heartbeat spiked and haha… even Eddie didn't see it coming… and then she collapsed! Haha… I'm a genius! Wait 'till Rose hears about this… then we can go play in the shower and-_

I growled at Emmett. The sound caused his thoughts to deviate off their course before I was hit with unwanted images. Turning my back on him, I knelt down to Bella's level, listening intently. Her heartrate was fluctuating violently. Sometimes it was beating too fast and sometimes it was hardly beating at all. What if it stopped all together?

I'd seen Carlisle do CPR before. He was able to control himself after practicing carefully on mannequins. I'd never practiced, nor was I quite certain how to do it. Despite this, I watched as my hands went into panic mode, carefully unbuttoning the top two buttons of her shirt. Place the heel of one hand on the sternum, just above where thr ribs come together at the bottom of the ribcage. Place the other ontop, lacing the fingers. Counts of… eight? Twelve? Or Fifteen? Fifteen compressions, that was it, and two rescue breaths. Executing the procedure wasn't what I was worried about. Crushing Bella's ribs into her vital organs… that was a problem. My hands were trembling from the sensation of it, but much to my relief, her heartbeat stabilized on its own. CPR wasn't needed. I let out a low sigh.

_Wow, Eddie, you're paler than usual. Heh._

I glared at him, but it lasted only a moment. Bella was coming to. I placed my hands on her cheeks, willing her eyes to open and her body to stop shaking.

"Bella? Bella are you alright?" I asked softly, stroking her cheek faintly. I watched as her eyelids fluttered gently, her head moved from side to side. Her lips twitched as if she were trying to speak, but at first only an incoherent raspy sound came out. Then she spoke.

"What about the earthquake," she mumbled. I chuckled softly. Bella was going to be alright. Her heartbeat was still quick, but it was rhythmically stable now. That was important. It was slowing down, too, back to its normal pace. Emmett was still laughing on the ground. How could he find this funny? Bella had also _died_! I snarled at him, turning to face him. His laughter faltered slightly, but then resumed.

"Hell, Emmett, you nearly scared Bella to death," I roared. Didn't he realize that?! How could he not? His laughter didn't cease. I growled again, ready to murder my brother. It wouldn't be the first time.

I felt Bella stir beneath me and much to me chagrin, I realized my hands were still poised over her, a breath away from shattering her ribs. I quickly removed them, never taking my attention off of Emmett.

"Emmett!" Didn't he understand?! "And what would we have done if her heart had stopped? It nearly did!" I snarled again, and Emmett's laugher was beginning to subside. Finally. Perhaps he realized how potentially dangerous this situation could've been. Or maybe he was just tired.

_Honestly I thought you were going to take off all her clothes. That would've been funny._ I just glared at him.

"You could always do CPR… you were getting ready to." He wasn't that ignorant, was he? Surely he knew the implications of a vampire doing vampire-caliber CPR on a human.

"That was an involuntary reaction. You know I can't really give her CPR. I don't think… I could control my strength enough…" I winced at the thought of what would happen to my angel.

"Then you could always bite her," he said conversationally. My temper snapped, as it had so many times before around him. It stayed with me long enough to check that Bella was alright. She was. She was sitting up and watching now, fully conscious and very much alive. I kissed her forehead before leaping into action.

I needed something to hurt him. Preferably something dispensable – Esme had thrown a fit when I used her antique sofa last time – and something hard that can be swung with force. My eyes swiftly scanned the kitchen.

And then I saw it. Lying there so helplessly, so innocently on the almost-bare pantry shelves. I leapt to my feet, and in a swift movement, I'd laid claim to the frying pan from the shelf. Now, I would execute everything I wanted to do in the grocery store, but had to restrain myself.

I had to admit, the frying pan made a lovely noise when it contacted Emmett's equally dense skull.

_Ow, o wow ow dammit Edward!_

It sent him reeling, staggering. One more for good measure. I followed him as he tried to step away, crashing it down over the top of his head.

_Shit! That hurts! Dammit when I tell Esme about-OW! _The metal was completely warped now, wrapping to the various contours of Emmett's face. I laughed softly and delivered a punch to his stomach, sending him into the cabinets. I turned around and saw Bella.

She was curled up on the ground, her hands over her ears. I was confused at first, but then it dawned on me that the noise we were making was too loud to be comfortable to her human ears.

Instinctively, I knelt in front of her, gently taking her hands off her ears. As her hands moved, her eyes fluttered open deftly. She stared up at me, and I was captivated by her chocolate eyes. A moment – perhaps eternity – later, she dropped her gaze and I released a breath I didn't even notice I was holding.

"Is that… the _frying pan_!?" I startled. Bella's eyes were huge. I turned slowly to see what she was looking at. Emmett had detached himself from the cabinets I had so hastily introduced him to. He was studying the frying pan on the floor. Rather, what was left of it.

_Nice one, Eddie… I mean you can't even tell this used to be a frying pan._

"Was. Was the frying pan. Edward has to explain this to Esme now."

"It's your face mushed into the metal. I don't see why I have to explain," I said carefully. My temper had cooled now that Bella was awake, but it was liable to flare up again. As stress-relieving as it had been to completely destroy something using Emmett's thick skull, I didn't really want to mutilate anything else. Esme would probably be angry. I could probably pin this on Emmett, but if the platter suddenly were shattered, it would be much more difficult.

"You're the one who put it there!" Emmett was indignant. Serves him right. I rolled me eyes and looked away, glancing down to Bella. "Oven works. Gonna bake the cupcakes?" I really wanted to kill him. Like, really. I ignored him, helping Bella to her feet. Together, we walked back to the counter. The batter hard started to re-lump itself, so I whisked it a couple times to smooth it back out. That's when I heard it.

_Yankee Doodle went to town, ridin' on a pony…_

What the hell? I turned to look at Emmett, sitting on the counter, happy as a clam. He swung his feet in time to the tune in his head.

_Stuck a feather in his hat…_

"What is it?" Bella asked. I glanced to her before lowering my lips down to her ear. I tried not to grin as a shiver rocked through her body as I whispered to her softly.

"He's singing _Yankee Doodle_ in his head. That means he's either thought of something he doesn't want me to know or he's trying to plan something," I explained.

"Oh, well, let's get these cupcakes into the oven before Esme kills us all," she said. I could smell her so strongly – I bit back a grin. I knew she must be blushing. I took the pan and took a spoonful of batter. Just as I was about to pour it in, Bella grabbed my hand.

"No, no wait!" I froze, her warm hands on my cold skin. I turned to look at her, confused. Didn't we need to put the batter into the pan…? "You'll never get the cupcakes out if you don't put the paper wrapper in first. Here." She moved the pan toward her, placed these little paper things into the pan, and then slid the pan back to me. "Now pour, but only halfway." Well, I could do that much. I carefully measured it, trying to precisely put one-half the paper cup into it. Bella placed the paper cup, I poured.

…_And called it macaroni!_ I groaned. I watched Bella pick up the pan and carry it to the oven. Deftly, she slid it inside.

"I have no idea how long to bake them in that archaic thing. We'll just have to peek on them every once in a while," Bella said as she closed the oven door. I nodded to her. I hoped she had some idea how long they would take. Would they take three hours? Or five minutes? I had no idea.

_Brother Ephraim sold his Cow_

I glanced over to Emmett and stared at him. He didn't stop.

_And bought him a Commission;_

_And then he went to Canada_

_To fight for the Nation;_

I fought the smile quirking at my lips. How did he know that? That was something Carlisle or Jasper would know. I just quirked an eyebrow at him.

_Well, I have to learn _something_ to irritate you. I mean, learning new songs makes it interesting, right? Jasper taught me that one while you were sleeping with Bella the other night. Nifty, isn't it? I know the next verse if you want… _I shook my head briefly. Emmett shrugged.

"I'm bored," he said. "Let's do something." His mind was blank – not altogether unusual, except in these circumstances.

"Like what," I asked carefully, unsure I wanted to hear the answer. He was staring right at me as he responded slowly.

"Well, Bella's always curious, right?" I heard her heart stutter behind me. Emmett's mind was still completely blank. I stilled, waiting for him to get to his point. Emmett finally looked away from me and to Bella. "Ever shot a shotgun before?" Was he mental?!

"Absolutely _not!_" I growled. Images of Bella trying to shoot a gun came to mind. The recoil from the gun slamming into her, leaving a bruise on her sweet, porcelain skin, possibly even bleeding. Or the gun kicking off wrong, or a bullet ricocheting back into her or-

"Just askin'. What do _you_ two do for fun, then?" Emmett asked. Without warning, I was bombarded with images of Rosalie and Emmett tangled within the sheets. _Emmett ontop of Rosalie, Rosalie dressed in a school girl outfit with knee-high stockings and the cravat. There were handcuffs and ties, and then Emmett-_

"Not _that_," I growled at him, closing my eyes and shaking my head, willing the traumatizing images to vanish. Instantly, they did. After Emmett finished laughing, I noticed his gaze had wandered to Bella. Even his smirk was gone, replaced by a soft, unusual smile. _Bella, golden-eyed and pale-skinned, running along beside Emmett through a field. They were racing, laughing. Without warning, he tackled her to the ground. Bella – my Bella – pushed him off and into a tree. He got up, and the two wrestled like siblings. Emmett was the stronger, and though Bella was indestructible, he was still gentle, careful not to hurt her, despite her diamond skin._ I blinked. Emmett wanted a sister. Alice was playful, but she didn't _play_ with Emmett. Emmett didn't protect Alice like he did Bella. Not that Jasper would give him the chance. Not that I would give him the chance to save Bella from something. I would always be there for her. Always.

"Of course not. Not Bella," he murmured softly. The way he looked at her – protectively, but not the same way he looked at Rosalie… it almost negated all my want to kill my brother. Almost.

"What was he thinking to you?" Bella's never-ending perception startled me from my thoughts. I stared at Emmett a little longer before glancing down to her.

"You don't want to know," I told her. I was grateful Bella couldn't read minds. If she had seen what Emmett was thinking about Rosalie… I glared back at Emmett. He was grinning like an idiot again.

"Well, you know Rose an' me-"

"That's _quite_ enough," I threatened. I glared at him dangerously, and he seemed to get the message. He slouched back against the sofa, watching us, smirking.

"Of course," he said slyly. I was suddenly acutely aware of the scent of Bella's scent. Was she _blushing_ again? I stared at her incredulously as she turned away, moving over to check the cupcakes in the oven. I just stared after her. What was she _thinking_? I rolled my eyes and exhaled slowly. How I wished I could get inside her mind. Forever closed to me.

"Well, I'd say they have another twenty minutes or so… what would you like to do until then," she said. Emmett's thoughts floated to me. _Ooo! Ooo! Shotgun shotgun I wanna- Hey… what's that… is that…_

Emmett's eyes locked on mine.

"Why does… it smell?" I chuckled as I saw Bella sniff her shirt. As if she could _ever_ smell like- "It smells… like… cabbage," Emmett was saying, but then he froze, and stared at me. "No… you didn't…" I grinned cheerfully at Emmett. Like lightning, he was out the door and running to the garage, his thoughts howling as loud as his voice the whole way there.

_No no no no Edward so totally didn't put the cabbage in my jeep. He didn't. He wouldn't. No way he- that bastard!_

I chuckled quietly as he howled verbally.

"What just… happened?" Bella asked, coming to stand beside me, staring after the door as it swung closed.

"Emmett just realized where the cabbage went," I informed her cheerfully. She was still blushing, and smelled wonderful. I turned to her and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close. I pressed my lips against her forehead.

"And where is the cabbage?" She was so close, I barely heard what she said. All I heard was her erratic heartbeat. It thudded every time I leaned in. I kissed her temple, her cheek, her jaw, her nose and lips before moving back to her ears.

"His jeep," I murmured, arousing a shiver from her body. I chuckled against her, kissing her lobe and her neck while Emmett fretted about his jeep.

Payback's a bitch.


	4. Hostage

**Look! More cupcakes! Sorry it took so long to get this out. Massive love for Bloodsucking Leech; she's the most awesome beta in the world! **

**Disclaimer: Goes without saying but, I neither own Twilight nor Disney. Disney, you say? Yes, you'll see. **

As much as I wanted to hold her, I could hear her heartbeat slowing. I sighed softly, not wishing to be parted from her sweet warmth. The monster was growing restless inside me, thrashing around as her scent bloomed around me like a midnight lotus. Carefully, I pulled back unwillingly from her wanting lips.

"Bella, you need to learn to breathe," I reminded her softly. I heard a soft intake of air flutter past her lips and into her lungs, restoring her normal heart rate. As she stared into my eyes, I felt a soft kick inside me. The monster was quickly overpowered by something far more primal – more primal than a vampire's nature, even – and exponentially stronger. Perhaps it was because I had originally been human. No one was ever born a vampire, we were made from humans. Perhaps that was why the human instinct was more dominant right now. I didn't want her blood - I wanted _her._ And she knew it. Her breath quickened, her pulse jumped and her cheeks colored. Under normal circumstances, the beast would've enjoyed the surplus of her scent.

I pressed my lips quietly against her forehead. I closed my eyes as the thoughts continued to thrash around in my mind as mercilessly as my siblings' thoughts. I kissed her lips softly, almost absentmindedly.

This terrible monster was locked away by this other force – this other urge to simply take her up in my arms, carry her across the room and lay her on the sofa. If I were human, there would be no issue of her fragility. I could simply -

"Edward...?" I snapped out of my train of thought. I found my lips tantalizingly near her lips, and I kissed her again.

"Mm?" I answered, not bothering to take my lips from her as I brushed across her jawbone. Never before had I needed to wrestle the _human_ side of me into submission. I kissed her nose, and then her lips once more, lightly.

"What's... burning?" She whispered. Was something burning? Hell could burn all around us and I wouldn't care: I had an angel in my arms. I answered as honestly as I could, not really paying attention to what I was smelling.

"Kind of... smells like cupcakes," I said softly, continuing to kiss her.

Very few things can startle a vampire. Ninety nine percent of those things can only be done by another vampire. Bella would fit into that one percent. In one split second, my lips were assaulting thin air.

"The cupcakes!"

Faster that I would've thought a human could move, Bella was at the oven yanking open the door. My eyes focused on just what was going on. Every muscle flexed in response, but even vampire speed couldn't save her.

"Bella!" I called out to her, knowing she was going to do it anyway. Her yelp stabbed into my heart as her hands closed thoughtlessly around the hot pan. I was at her side in an instant, grabbing the falling pan. Before Bella had even turned around, clutching her hand, I had set the cupcakes on the counter and turned back to her, clasping her burnt hand between mine. _At least these cold, dead limbs could be good for something_, I thought to myself dryly.

Her eyes were closed tightly, and tears of pain were budding underneath her lashes. Poor, sweet Bella. I stared at her, willing her to open her eyes and look at me, assure me that she was alright. Slowly, she acquiesced my silent wish.

She stared up into my eyes, tears still lingering at the corners.

"Bella, does it still hurt? Are you alright?" I sighed when she didn't answer. "What were you _thinking_!?" If only I knew. I rubbed her hands softly, gently, trying to ease the pain. Her heart beat was slowing down gradually. A smirk quirked at her lips as she regarded me.

"I wasn't. Obviously," she muttered. I breathed out a sigh of relief and chuckled. A tear lingered on her cheek, and impulsively, without thinking about it, I leaned forward and kissed her cheek, taking with it the remaining tear. I regarded her expression for a moment, worried. She seemed to be okay now.

I glanced down to her hand clutched between my hands. Carefully I moved one of my hands to look at hers. I was surprised to see that, though it had seemed she had injured it, it wasn't too bad. I gently turned the hand over in my hands, tracing the contours of her fingertips and her palms. I noticed her eyes were averted and I tried not to smile.

"Well? What's the damage?" She asked at last. Her eyes opened and she looked straight at me, ignoring the hand between mine. Poor Bella.

"It's not bad. Not bad at all," I said. I truly was surprised how her hand had handled the wounds. I chuckled softly. "For someone who's such a danger magnet, you sure are lucky in spite of it." I paused again, regarding Bella. "Still, I think Carlisle should look at it. Here, when he gets home," I paused, watching her expression change from relieved to horrified. It was time to convince her that seeing Carlisle was the best option. "We don't have to go to the hospital. Unless you want to?" Bella's face contracted into a frown.

"No! Not at all! But we don't need to trouble him with my stupid klutzy self," she murmured, trying to weasel out of talking to Carlisle. I wasn't about to take that chance. He needed to look at it.

"Bella, be reasonable. Please. For me. You sure have a knack for nearly giving me a heart attack – it's quite a feat, I assure you," I said, frowning as she rolled her eyes at me. She was so stubborn.

"Fine," she conceded, glaring up at me in the most adorable fashion. I could get lost in her eyes for forever. "But the cupcakes… I dropped… where are… they?" She trailed off as her eyes wandered over to the counter where I had haphazardly tossed the pan before reaching to her and grabbing her burned hand. Her lovely eyes widened in amazement. "How…?" She asked, turning her eyes back to me.

"I caught it," I explained, shrugging my shoulders lightly. I held her hand gently, still, tracing light circles over the back of her hand. "It didn't burn me," I explained only half jokingly. Bella really could have been seriously injured from the hot pan. It was a miracle she hadn't been. "Well, I didn't really hold it long enough to let it, even if it could," I explained quickly as her face fell into an embarrassed pout.

"Oh," she said quietly. I watched her intently, waiting for some sort of reaction from her. I glanced sideways at her before offering to change the subject.

"Shall we make a new batch? We'll need more than twelve, don't we?" As much as I wanted to get the cupcake-baking over with, there were far more important things. Carlisle had a second doctor's kit upstairs in his office. Quickly I left Bella's side, ran up the stairs as fast as I could. I paused for approximately four tenths of a second to reach into the kit and pull out a thin, white towel-like bandage before bolting back down the stairs to her side. I returned to her side so quickly that her hand was still suspended where I had been holding it. When she saw the towel, her hand returned quickly to her side, protectively.

"Let me see your hand," I said. The point was moot; I could easily just take her hand and put the bandage on it, but I wanted her to let me wrap it willingly. Surprised by my speed, no doubt, Bella was quick to recover and glared at the bandage in my other hand.

"What for?" She asked warily. I sighed. Bella wasn't going to give up easily.

"We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way. Which way would you like to do it?" I stared at her, my eyebrows raised. I knew I was going to do it. She knew I was going to do it. She knew that I knew that she knew. Her lips pressed together tightly and I couldn't help but smirk. I was going to win this.

Bella made a huge show of an over-exaggerated sigh before rolling her eyes and looking up to the ceiling as she thrust her hand out toward me. Smiling sweetly, I took hand and quickly tied the bandage lightly around it. I was very careful; one tiny flinch too much and I could snap her delicate hand bones into a thousand pieces. I glanced up to her eyes a bit nervously.

"Not too tight, is it?" I inquired, worried.

"Not at all," she replied quietly. Then I worried that perhaps I had erred on the side of too loose in my paranoia of tying it too tight.

"And it won't fall off?"

"Only if I can help it," she muttered under her breath. I couldn't stop the grin that split across my face. I laughed and put my arms around her, pulling her into an embrace and kissing her cheek.

I took her good hand and gently led her over to where the cupcakes were on the counter. Bella slipped away from my hands and stared at the metal tray. I watched as she hesitantly tapped the metal tray once before resting her finger on it cautiously. I couldn't fathom what she was thinking as she stared at it. Bella had an incredulous expression as she studied it. Perhaps she was astounded that I had saved the cupcakes.

I watched as she looked at her fingertips and rubbed them together thoughtfully. I watched as she started lifting the cupcakes out of the pan. I started on the other side, and before long, we had lifted all the cupcakes from the metal tray. Like before, she placed the little paper liners into the tray and I poured the exact amount of batter needed to achieve the perfect rounded-top cupcakes.

Bella set the extra paper liners on the counter. Before she could turn back to the tray, I lifted it up quickly and carried it over to the oven. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bella roll her eyes, frustrated, and I heard her sigh of exasperation. I chuckled softly to myself.

As I slid the tray into the old oven, I composed my face before turning around to face her as I closed the door.

"You don't have any idea how long those took, do you? Even though they smelled like they were on fire, they turned out perfect," I said slowly. I would estimate about thirty minutes. Normally I had a perfect sense of time, but with Bella around distracting me, I was no longer aware of things most vampires were. I could estimate the time at any given moment to within the minute. I could hear things coming, I was very attune to when someone's thought could threaten us… and then Bella fell into my life.

Time passed for me now like it did for a human; effortlessly, and without my notice. I cared not for the second hand on the clock, for the sheets of paper on the calendar… I cared only for the sound of Bella's heartbeat forever burned into my memory.

I watched as she slid a knife into the top of one of the cupcakes and then pulled it back out. A chuckle escaped her lips, and I frowned in frustration. I knew I would never hear her thoughts, yet I was still consistently frustrated with the blank wall I was constantly met with.

It was several seconds before Bella guessed about a half hour. At least our estimates were about right. I looked over onto the countertop and picked up a timer.

"We can always check them after that, anyway, and leave them longer if they aren't finished," she pointed out as I pushed the buttons to set the kitchen gadget.

_Mrs. Dobbins will be better by tomorrow, and I'll need to find out from Alice if the weatherman is right about the sun… if he is, then I need to call Dr. Jenkins and have him cover for me tomorrow and – Bella's here? Wonderful. Esme is so tickled every time Edward invites Bella over…_

Carlisle's thoughts trickled across the house as I heard him quietly make his way upstairs. I glanced down to Bella who was staring in the direction of the door.

"Carlisle's home," I said gently, waiting for her reaction. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. Smiling politely, I continued. "Shall we go pay him a visit? He's in his office."

_A visit? Is something wrong, Edward? Come on up, I'm not busy. _

Much to my surprise, all Bella did was nod. I smiled and took her good hand, gently leading her out of the kitchen and toward Carlisle's office. Pausing outside, I knocked on his door for good measure.

_It's alright, come on in. Is everything alright?_

"Come in," Carlisle spoke aloud as I nudged open the door, leading a blushing Bella inside his office. Carlisle was studying Bella intently and then glanced to me quickly.

_Is she alright? What's happened?_

"Bella burned her hand and I was wondering if you would look at it – against her wishes, I might add – and just make sure it's alright," I explained, careful to point out that it was my idea and not Bella's to come visit him.

Carlisle took Bella's injured hand from across the desk and started unwrapping my bandage.

_Excellent bandaging. I'm impressed. I can't imagine where you learned to tie a wrap like that._

I just rolled my eyes to the ceiling. Carlisle's face was impassive as his fingers brushed over Bella's burnt palm.

_I'm just teasing you, you know. It doesn't seem too bad. I'm surprised. What happened? Did she burn her hand on the oven?_ Carlisle glanced up at me and I pressed my lips into a thin line in response.

_The metal tray then? Something to do with the oven, I'm sure._

I closed my eyes and then opened them again. That meant yes.

_Her skin is going to be tender for a while, but that's a good thing; it means her nerves haven't been damaged. Whatever you did to try and salvage the situation worked. Her scent will be strong, though, as blood flow will increase to try and speed the healing process. Is it difficult for you now?_

I pressed my lips into a thin line again, just slightly turning my lips into a frown. At first, I hadn't understood why we were having the conversation without Bella, and now I realized why. I didn't like where this was going.

_Is it usually difficult?_

I frowned again.

_I admire you, Edward. You're very strong. Everything will be alright._

I didn't respond; even if we were speaking aloud, what could I possibly say to that?

_I heard you put the cabbage in Emmett's jeep._

I rolled my eyes. Was I really about to get lectured? I suppose Carlisle didn't know what Emmett had done in the grocery store.

_You really shouldn't provoke him like that. I know that the jeep is easy to clean, but who knows what damage Emmett will do in retaliation. This won't go unpunished, you know._

I raised an eyebrow at him questioningly.

_Oh, no. I'm not going to ground you or anything, Edward. You'll see…_

Beside me, Bella sighed. I glanced to her quickly. Chagrin flooded me; she could tell we were having a conversation without her.

"Sorry Bella," Carlisle murmured sincerely. "Your hand seems to be fine. It will probably be a little tender for a while, but Edward was right. There's no serious damage. Your human instincts kicked in after you grabbed the pan, at least. You dropped it before it damaged the tissue."

Bella burst out with a dark chuckle, startling me.

"At least my instincts work _half_ the time, right?" She said, sighing softly. Carlisle's eyes glanced to me before going back to Bella.

Carlisle chided her lightly for her lack of self confidence before getting back to business.

"Would you like an icepack for a bit? At least until the burn cools?" Carlisle asked. And then Bella did the most unexpected thing. She grinned at Carlisle and turned to me before speaking.

"Thank you, but I think I have that covered," she said quietly. I just stared at her for a moment as she placed her tender, warm hand in between my cold ones. Carefully, I lifted her hand up to my lips and pressed a kiss to each of her fingertips. I grinned as her heartbeat stuttered slightly with each one.

Rising up from the chairs we had occupied across Carlisle, I led Bella toward the door.

_Karma, Edward, karma._

I pretended I hadn't heard Carlisle's unusually obscure wisdom as we moved into the hallway.

"What were you talking about? With Carlisle?" I looked down at her fondly. My dear, sweet, observant Bella.

"He was scolding me for smearing cabbage all over the inside of Emmett's jeep. He was pretty upset," I said. It was partially true. Perhaps upset wasn't the proper word. Amused might be better. But there had definitely been some fatherly scolding interwoven in his words, so it counted. I wasn't about to explain that Carlisle was concerned that it would be difficult for me to refrain from eating Bella.

"Really? That was all?" I just smiled faintly. Very observant. I nodded vaguely at her, coming up with a thousand reasons to justify what I said – and didn't say. "We should check on the cupcakes then, they might be done soon." Yes, the cupcakes.

I was still troubled by what Carlisle had told me. His words echoed about inside my head.

_Karma, Edward, karma._

Karma? What in the world was Carlisle talking about karma for?

_Let's get down to business… to defeat… the Huns…_

What the hell was that? Emmett's thoughts were crystal clear – and completely opaque. What in the world would provoke Emmett to sing Disney songs in his head?

_Did they send me daughters, when I asked… for sons?_

With each phrase I my footsteps increased. What was Emmett doing? A sickening sensation settled into my stomach. Was this… karma?

_You're the saddest bunch I've ever met… and you can __**bet**__ before we're through…_

"What is it?" Bella asked at my side. I glanced down at her and frowned slightly in frustration.

"I don't know." I winced. "Yet," I added. I quickened my pace a little more.

_Some how I'll…_

I rounded the corner and barreled into the kitchen. The first thing I saw was that the cupcakes were gone. I bolted over to where they had been and picked up the note.

_Make a man…_

"If you ever want to see your cupcakes again… I don't know, I'll think of something later. But I have them! Hahaha!

Please see Rosalie for the ransom arrangements, and have a nice day."

I growled. Loudly. Surely he didn't think to check for the ones in the oven… I handed the note off to Bella and bounded over to the oven, yanking it open. Inside, they were gone as well. All of our cupcake batter had been stolen.

_Out of you…_

Growling, I turned to stare at the plate that had been holding our cupcakes only a few minutes ago. Now, it held a pile of a smashed white-green vegetable. I wrinkled my nose in disgust.

_We must be swift as the coursing river… with all the force of a great typhoon…_

"Edward? What is that? It smells gross… like a rotting vegetable." Bella asked, staring at the pile of nastiness warily. I groaned. I didn't know whether to be furious over something stupid, or defeated by a batch of cupcakes.

_With all the strength of a raging fire… mysterious as the dark side of the moon… Catchy, ain't it, Edward?_

"Cabbage," I said slowly, answering her.

**--  
I thought the song choice was rather descriptive of the vampire race. Swift, Forceful, Strong, Mysterious. That's half the reason why I chose it. The other half was it was stuck in my head and not going anywhere. Woo!**


	5. Principle

**I told you I was still working on this thing! It's just taking me a while, I'm sorry. But here's the newest installment.**

**PLEASE READ****** **One Dozen Roses** has been nominated for the **Twilight Awards**! If you liked that story, please go to www(dot)twilightawards(dot)this-paradise(dot)com and vote for me! It's up for the vote for **Best Overall Romance**, **Best Edward/Bella Characterization**, **Most Original Plot, **AND **Best Overall Scene** for the closet scene in the 8th chapter! Thank you guys so much!

* * *

_Cupcakes: The Sequel_  
Part Five: Principle

I glared at the stupid note. Emmett was really childish at times. Occasionally, it was humorous. Even endearing. This was _not_ one of those times. I wadded it up in my hands and set it on the counter. After stuffing my hands in my pockets, I began to walk around the kitchen, thinking.

We could always go after Emmett and demand the cupcakes back, but I had the sneaking sensation that he would damage or ruin the cupcakes if I tried.

I started walking around the room, trying to figure out what, precisely, we could do. I was also leery that Rosalie was actually involved. Then again, Emmett could probably convince her to do about anything he wanted.

Only when Bella sat down in a huff did I realize she had been pacing with me. I stopped and stared at her for a moment, and realized that she was tired. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips parted as she tried to catch her breath. A slight sweat-sheen so small only a vampire could notice stood out on her porcelain skin.

"I'm sorry, Bella," I murmured, ashamed. She had been trying to keep up with me.

She stared at me for a moment before replying, "You know, Edward, based on the speed you drive, we could have gone to the store, gotten more cupcake mix, and put more in the oven by now." Her eyebrows rose smartly, and I could only sigh. Of _course_ we could make new cupcakes. But then Emmett would win. There was a lesson to be learned here, no male, hot-blooded or bloodless, would just turn away from such a challenge.

We simply had to beat him at his own game. There was no alternative, no matter how seemingly petty it was.

"I know," I said. Of course I knew. But she had to understand my point of view. "It's the principle of the thing," I explained.

She fell silent for a moment, staring up at me. I could only helplessly wonder what was running through that beautiful mind of hers.

"You reek of cabbage," she said after a moment. I winced, and looked away, glancing down over my body.

"I threw it out; at least, there shouldn't be anymore cabbage," I said. Unfortunately, in the process of trying to scrape the messy organic terror, some of it had splattered on my clothes.

Bella sighed, and I looked over at her curiously.

"So what do we do now?" She asked innocently. Looking at her, an idea started to form in my mind. Emmett liked Bella. Probably more than he liked me, actually. If _Bella_ went to go reason with him, the adorable, sister-like girl full of innocence… just wanting her cupcakes back… it might just work.

Plus, I wasn't about to go send her to talk to Rosalie. I would handle that myself.

" 'We' don't do anything," I murmured softly, watching her expression closely. I saw her eyes light up before narrowing, a spark of irritation in her depths. Her cheeks colored slightly. What the devil could she possibly be angry about? Bella _never _did what I expected. Ever.

"Well, what are you going to do?" She replied, a faint tremor of frustration in her voice. I blinked. What was she thinking? I stared in fascination, but I knew that no matter how long I stared at her, I would not break through that barrier. How could she possibly be upset with me? Emmett had stolen the cupcakes, and yet her irritation was directed at me. Was it because I was the only one in the room?

As she bit her lip in frustration, I realized she wasn't angry with me – she was frustrated with herself. _Why?_

"Actually, _you_ are going to go talk with Emmett. I will find Rosalie," I answered slowly, watching her reaction very closely. Given her track record of doing the unexpected, she just might spontaneously combust. I quickly glanced around for a fire extinguisher.

"Me? Go find Emmett?" She asked, completely caught off-guard. Again. Never what I expected. I sighed in resignation.

"Yes. He adores you, like a little sister. Besides, if I went after him, he'd destroy the cupcakes," I elaborated. I watched her again. It had become a game – not necessarily try and predict how she would react: it was never fun to lose over and over. Rather, the game was more like trying to predict how she would react, and then see how far from the truth I was.

"And why can't we just make more?" The tiring tone in her voice made me sigh. She really didn't understand, did she? My sweet, sensible Bella did not have the driving pride to beat Emmett at his own game.

"Principle," I murmured. I would keep reminding myself of that until I won. He would. Not. Win. I paused briefly, hearing Rosalie slam the hood of her car down. She would be leaving soon. "Emmett's in his room. Good luck," I said as I kissed her forehead.

Within the second, I was leaning casually in the doorway to the garage. I heard Bella mumbling under her breath as she hiked up the stairs toward Emmett's room.

As I fixed my attention back on Rosalie as she straightened upright and wiped her oil-greased hands off. She stared at me for a long moment, and we just shared an exchange of glances.

"Did you need something?" She asked brusquely after a minute. I waited another minute as I walked into the garage casually before answering her question.

"Do you know anything about this?" I handed the wadded-up note that Emmett had written toward her. She stared at me for a moment, then set her dirty towel down and took the note from my hands. It took her eyes only a second to flash over the note before glaring back at mine.

"What makes you think I would have anything to do with that stupid idea?"

I shrugged. "Just thought I'd ask." We fell into a quiet silence.

"Why don't you just make more?" She asked abruptly. I stared at her for a moment.

"It's the principle!" I sighed, frustrated. "Emmett cannot be allowed to win his game. And if it takes chasing after human food to beat him, then I will do it," I explained.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. You boys and your testosterone," she muttered, shaking her head. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. Maybe that was it. Maybe it wasn't just that Bella wanted no part, but because she wasn't a boy, she had no desire for justice or winning. But girls wouldn't just take it. If Emmett did something to something of Rosalie's, she would retaliate. Any girl would. What did they do to get back if they didn't try and win?

"What would you do, Rosalie?" I asked after a moment.

"What do you mean?"

"If Emmett stole your cupcakes."

Rosalie just raised an eyebrow at me, her face stone-cold.

"Humor me," I implored when she didn't respond.

"I would just make new ones, and then get him back later. Motor oil on his clothes or something," she explained. She paused for a moment, and then glanced to me. Her thoughts were flying too fast for me to make much sense of. "Did you… let Emmett… in your Volvo?"

"What?" Now it was my turn to be surprised. "No. Not other than to take him to the store with us earlier."

Rosalie's eyebrows rose slightly and she slowly walked away, back toward her BMW. Casually, she lifted up the bottle of Turtle Wax and went about her business.

"Rosalie? What did he do?" I asked. She didn't respond, she just kept waxing the hood of her car, though her bright red lips were pressed into a faint smile. Her thoughts were equally elusive.

_Wax on… wax off. Wax on… wax off._

Feeling a little paranoid, I quickly moved across the large garage to where my car was parked. I didn't need to open the door to see what he had done. My skin crawled with the same sensation that a human would feel as the blood drained from his or her face. My body went cold – colder than normal – before erupting into an angry flame.

Emmett had gone too far. White icing was caked all over the inside of my precious car. It was one thing to throw a rotting cabbage into his jeep – he could just sweep it out with his hands and actually use water on the inside of his jeep. It would just smell bad for a while.

But there was oil-based icing pasted all over my leather upholstery and dashboard. Icing didn't just "brush out" and I had _leather_ seats.

I only barely heard Rosalie's "Serves him right," as I ran by, flying back into the house and up the stairs.

"Emmett… please?" Bella's soft voice drifted down the hallway as I moved toward the bedroom. I rounded the corner and stood in his doorway, snarling.

We locked eyes for a moment. It must have been but a second to poor Bella – I saw her out of the corner of my eye, standing there, shocked, confused, looking between us – but it seemed like an hour to me. Between our gaze, we exchanged so much information. His eyes went from brief surprise at my sudden presence to an "Oh-you-found-Rosalie" look that clearly indicated he knew that I knew about the Volvo.

And he had the nerve to goad me. "Yes, Edward? Did you need something wittle bruddah? I-" He didn't have time to finish that sentence. I moved from the doorway and tackled him. Caught by surprise, my stronger brother stumbled beneath my force and I punched him to the ground. From his mouth came words I wished Bella couldn't hear, so I punched him in the jaw to try and shut him up. He just cursed again, twisting beneath me. He would overpower me eventually, so I tried to get as many hits in as I could before then.

"Whoa whoa… hey Edward, calm for a minute…" He muttered. Did he really think I would calm down?

_Edward! Chill! Geeze man, a joke! A joke!!_

"You-put-icing-inside-my-Volvo!" And he had the nerve to call it a joke?! I punched him again and delivered a kick to his stomach. Emmett doubled over, but his arms caught hold of me. I wrestled against his strength, trying to get another punch in, but his strength was greater than mine, and he was able to restrain my arms. I felt my anger rising, and we were both waiting for the moment when my anger would be able to overpower his collected strength.

Something could be said for emotions – they tended to make one stronger. And right now, I was very angry and Emmett was… not. It could very easily level the playing field.

"Don't worry, the cupcakes are still alive. I just used the icing. Payback's a bitch," he taunted. His eyes widened slightly when my muscles strained again, matching strength with him.

"But cabbage is _solid_. There is icing rubbed _into_ the upholstery. My leather seats!" I snarled at him. I was nearly blinded by anger, but not so blind to miss sweet, delicate, _fragile_ Bella stand up. No. Bella was the last person who should be trying to break up a vampire fight. "No, Bella." I warned her. "Go back," I said, nodding to the seat. She hesitated, watching us both for a minute before obliging and stepping back away as Emmett and I continued to circle each other, our arms locked.

"Sorry, I don't want to die," Emmett murmured softly before he heaved at me with all his strength. Suddenly, our arms weren't tangled anymore, and I landed harshly on the sofa, causing it to bump against the wall and knock a nice dent into the wall. Thank God Emmett had the sense to throw me in the opposite direction of Bella.

I curled up but before I could spring relentlessly at him again, he held up his hands peacefully. I paused just long enough to hear what he had to say.

"Okay, okay. You're right. I… didn't realize it would be so bad. I'll clean it up, don't worry." I just stared at him. Slowly, I allowed my body to relax back into the sofa, still glaring at him. He had offered to clean it up, I reasoned. That was probably best. Besides, God only knew how dangerous it was for us to keep fighting with Bella in the room.

I glanced over to her swiftly just in time to see her sigh softly in relief. I smiled faintly. Bella was the calm in my storm. She could always bring me to reason.

My feeling of calm was short-lived, however, courtesy of Emmett.

"So… what happened to Bella? Did she fall in the oven or something?" I couldn't fight the anger that flooded me. How could he treat something like that so casually? "Oh my God! You really _did_ fall in the oven!" I turned my narrowed gaze on Emmett and just watched him quietly.

"Not… exactly," Bella answered softly, blushing. With her words, I turned to look at my angel again. The soft rosy hue on her cheeks had flared to life again, and I couldn't help but relax in her presence. She looked so shy, so embarrassed, so unused to the attention, and so utterly beautiful.

"Only you, Bella," he murmured softly. I just stared at him coldly. He glanced to me and just ran a hand through his curly hair nervously.

_Oh Edwaaaaard!_

I blinked. What did Alice want?

_I have your precious cupcakes._

I looked at the wall. Three rooms down, Alice was sitting in there, plotting. Just as suddenly as they came on, her thoughts stopped.

"Please, Emmett? Can we have the cupcakes back?" I heard Bella plead with Emmett. I continued to focus on the walls as they talked.

_Falalalalalalalalala… Now we don our gay apparel…_

"Emmett, we know you have-" Bella was saying, but I didn't let her finish.

"Actually, he's right. He doesn't have them anymore," I interrupted Bella, a feeling of dread dawning over me. I could only begin to imagine what Alice had planned. And she was being very careful I didn't know for sure.

_Because I waaaant it thaaaat way! Remember that song Edward? Oh, the '90s!_

I winced. I did _not_ want to go through the Backstreet Boys again.

"Then who has-"

"Alice," Emmett and I finished at the same time. I noticed a pout overtake her beautiful pink lips and I couldn't fathom why. Did she abhor the idea of Alice with her cupcakes as much as I did? She couldn't possibly know what Alice was capable of. Could she?

"What about Rosalie?" Bella asked, completely confused.

Emmett filled her in while I tuned back in to Alice's thoughts.

_And I pity any girl who isn't me today…_

_I feel stunning and entrancing and running and jumping for joy!_

"What does Alice want for the cupcakes, then?" I asked Emmett offhandedly. "Since she won't tell me with her mind?"

"What's she thinking?" Bella asked, curious. I stared into her eyes for a moment before answering carefully.

"…_I feel pretty… Oh so pretty…_" I answered, using Alice's tone. I barely noticed both Bella and Emmett breaking out into giggles before Alice answered me back.

_I feel pretty and witty and bright!_

I realized Emmett was still laughing, and I just glared at him angrily. Right before I stood up to go punch him out again, he stopped laughing and looked at Bella, but his thoughts were for me.

_Alice went shopping today. She bought some new makeup, a dress, and a new pair of heels,_ Emmett thought. I just stared at him. Was that supposed to mean something informative? _Alice is willing to trade you the cupcakes. For Bella for an hour._ Suddenly the meaning all clicked into place. I felt my lips twitch at the idea of Bella playing model for Alice. She would loathe it, of course. But Alice had a way of… not necessarily making Bella more beautiful for she was already breathtaking – it was a good thing I no longer needed to breathe – but Alice had a subtle way of accenting Bella's undeniable beauty in a way that made her absolutely radiate. I had no doubts that whatever dress Alice had purchased, it was in Bella's size.

I stared at Bella for a moment, trying to find the more logical way to explain this to her. She wouldn't agree to it. How could I possibly convince her to do this for me? If nothing else, to get the cupcakes back.

"Okay, will someone tell me what Emmett just thought that's so damn amusing and somehow has to do with me?" Bella was far too observant. Now I would have to try and explain this much sooner.

"Well," Emmett started. With a wave of my hand, he stopped, and just watched. I didn't take my eyes off of her. If Emmett just casually explained, Bella would never help. She had no loyalty to principle. I had to convince her that she did.

"Bella," I murmured softly, moving from the sofa and over toward her. I stared so deeply into her eyes that I don't think she could have turned away.

"Y-yes?" Bella's voice was soft and barely coherent. If I hadn't been so intent on her attention, I would have lifted my eyes to glare at the snickering Emmett. Bella didn't seem to notice, though.

"What would you do for our precious, innocent, defenseless cupcakes?" I purred softly. If I could get her to do anything for the cupcakes, perhaps she would go willingly to Alice.

I couldn't 'dazzle' her too much, or she might pass out on me. I paid careful attention to the stuttering in her chest. The second she stopped breathing, all bets were off and her safety would become far more important. Her answer to the question was not promising. With just a noise, I tried another tactic.

"What would you do for me?"

"Anything…" she murmured softly. Yes, far more promising. And I would do anything for her. If Alice had asked for me to save her, I would gladly go. I would do anything. She was my soul, my life. It wasn't like I was asking her to lay down her life. I would never to that to her. Ever. It would always be my life first.

"Right… Anything. You know how much I'm concerned about principle, right?" Back to the principle.

"A lot…" I could only chuckle softly at her breathy response to my question. Her eyes were glazed over slightly and her cheeks were a beautiful pinkish color. Beautiful Bella, so alive, so fragile… _my_ Bella.

"Right. And you know I would do anything for principle… and you would do anything for me, right? So naturally, you would do anything for principle. Right?" I watched her critically to see if she could follow everything I said in her dazed state.

"Sure," she said. I wasn't convinced she knew precisely what she was agreeing to. Perhaps that was for the better.

"Anything, right?" I questioned, just to make sure.

"Anything," she repeated in affirmation. I hid the grin that threatened to break out on my face. Principle was going to win.

"Well, Alice has our poor cupcakes… and you need to be brave and get them back. Will you do that for me?" I waited, holding my breath. This was crucial. If she figured out what was-

"Of course." I exhaled slowly in relief. One more hurdle, and then victory for principle was nigh.

"Will you go appease Alice so we can get our cupcakes back?" I leaned down and kissed her lips softly when she nodded. So sweet, so innocent. So… Bella. No other word could describe the piece of utter perfection so willingly in my arms. "Alice loves to play with humans… the things she couldn't do before… she promises to return the cupcakes if you play dress up for her," I continued quickly, hoping the words were too fast for her. It did the trick; she nodded, still staring up into my eyes.

"She's in her room now. You remember where that is?" I asked. I wasn't convinced Bella could find the door in _this_ room in her current state.

"Of course," she replied softly.

Still unconvinced, I persisted. "Do you remember what we just talked about," I asked.

"Not really."

I laughed softly. Poor Bella. I wrapped my arms around the precious bundle of living, breathing, fragile life in my arms and pulled her closer, kissing her on her lips again. I moved down and brushed my lips over her neck, enthralled with the feeling of her erratic pulse.

Without warning, Bella's arms were around me, in my hair, pulling me closer. I allowed her a little, but then the venom in my mouth became too much. Her scent was all around me and with her racing heart – I carefully set us apart and turned her toward Emmett's door. I followed behind her as she tottered, holding my breath in case she fell.

After the first few steps, she seemed to catch her balance and made it on her own. I watched her until she disappeared around the corner.

"Wow," Emmett breathed. I turned to look at him questioningly. "Don't you feel the least bit guilty for that?"

I frowned a little. "Yeah, a little."

"I mean, you just manipulated her into doing something you know she will hate," he pointed out. I winced.

"Don't put it like that," I pleaded, the guilt weighing heavily on my conscience the more he talked about it.

"I bet she'll be smokin' hot, though," he added cheerfully. I just glared at him. I knew Emmett meant it harmlessly, but the thought of anyone other than myself thinking of her that way erupted a wave of jealousy inside of me.

Funny, how such a small slip of a girl, could waltz into my life and turn everything on its head like I lived in a house of glass. Being around her physically, feeling her warmth and seeing her fragility constantly reminded me of what a monster I was. Being around her mentally, feeling her love and knowing her kindness caused the most raw and uncontrollable human emotions to blossom inside me. It was a paradox that I had yet to grow used to and had no hope of ever understanding.

"Stupid, Cheating Vampire!" Bella's voice was unmistakable down the hallway. I couldn't help but throw my head back and laugh. Bella wasn't too angry, at least. I didn't think.

"Well, I guess she's un-dazzled now," Emmett stated matter-of-factly. I looked over at the brother I'd tried to pummel a few minutes ago, and he looked back. We both broke into a grin at the same time.

"I'm betting on an hour of time. Any takers?" I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Two and a half," he answered with a smirk.

"You're on."


	6. Resolution

**Yay! I told you I was still working on this piece. It's been a lot of work. Silly Edward.**

Emmett and I had been sitting on opposite sides of the room for nearly an hour. Alice had been excruciatingly careful not to think about what she was doing. There had been a period where she had a vision of Bella tumbling down the stairs in heels.

I had sprung to my feet but before I could register what was happening in the vision, Alice had blocked it.

_No, Edward. It's fine. She's not going to wear the heels._

Slowly I sat back down reluctantly. I glanced to Emmett across the room and he was staring back at me questioningly, the little paper football prepped on his knee.

"Alice had a vision about Bella falling," I explained.

"But she's alright?"

"She will be alright. I think," I conceded before raising my hand to be the goal post. Emmett flicked the paper football and it sailed through the air and passing neatly between my fingers.

We had learned rather quickly that paper footballs weren't made to fly the entire length of the room, no matter how much strength was applied. They simply weren't aerodynamic enough to do so. Rather than settle for a shorter playing field, we manipulated the design.

After tucking a good deal of paper clips inside the paper football and folding it up, it flew much further with the added weight. With a little bit of tampering with the design, some tape to smooth down the folds, we managed to get it to clear the large length of our living room.

Emmett held up his goalpost hands while I propped the taped-smooth triangular, weighted piece of paper on my knee. After taking careful aim, I flicked it and sent it flying across the room between his fingers.

The game had been half-hearted the entire hour. Emmett was abuzz with excitement about seeing Alice's finished product – I was abuzz with concern for Bella. Every time that I decided to race up the stairs and rescue her, Alice would always remind me with her thoughts.

_She's absolutely fine, Edward. I'm almost done, now._

I caught the paper football this time and just held onto it, thinking. What was Alice doing to my precious Bella? Without warning, I flicked it back at Emmett, smacking him in the face with it. I snickered. He picked up the paper football and prepared to throw it back, but we were both distracted by the sound of movement at the top of the stairs.

Instantly, I vacated the sofa I had been lounging in and moved through the kitchen to meet her. I didn't anticipate her running right into me, but I quickly snatched the reclaimed cupcake treasure from her hands and set them down. Turning back to her, I gasped.

My entire body was frozen as I just stared at her. Her beautiful mahogany hair was done up in cascading curls that framed her beautiful heart-shaped face. Her lips were a bright red, contrasting against her pale skin. She almost looked like…

I shook my head to clear the thought and drank in the rest of her image. Beautiful. She was simply beautiful. I grinned at her, noting the blush across her cheeks.

Casually, I opened my arms to her and as predicted, she snuggled right into my grasp. With careful consideration for her fragility, I closed my arms around her in an embrace.

"You look… delicious," I murmured softly. I heard the sound of her poor heart trip over itself. I chuckled. Apparently, her heart seemed to have the same inexplicable clumsiness that my Bella had. "You smell delicious, too," I added, inhaling deeply. Leaning closer, I moved my lips across her blushing cheek, inhaling deeply again. Completely. In control. Completely-

Bella turned, moving her lips to mine. Not in control.

I turned away from her, continuing to plant kisses along her face, but not on her lips. Not just yet. The burn was there – it was always there. Did I trust myself? Could I really be with her like this?

"Kiss me," she whispered.

The beast inside of me grumbled in defeat – some shred of my humanity remained and utterly triumphed over the monster.

I was surprised by how strong the man inside of me was – and yet how gentle. I was safe to release myself to his instincts for he was very delicate with fragile Bella.

It was so easy to be gentle with her when the monster wasn't around. I took her into my arms quickly, pressing my lips to hers. It took little to no rational thought to keep my lips closed, as if that were the natural instinct.

I wanted to be closer, I moved us across the floor, bumping her into the pantry. I froze, panicked. Had I harmed her?

Given that she was still kissing me as if time itself were ending, I gathered that I had not. I lifted my lips up from hers briefly before pressing them to hers again. Fire flooded my insides, urges, instincts that were not altogether foreign – I had felt instincts before. None had ever been this strong nor this primal… and none were typical of a vampire.

_Whoa!_

I groaned.

"Geeze, you two, get a room!" Emmett's voice was unmistakable. I turned and growled at him, throwing him daggers with my eyes. Now was _not_ the time I wanted to be interrupted. Not with my Bella, right here, right now, with me. He seemed to get the message.

Watching me the whole time, he smirked and moved right along.

"Sexy Bella, lucky Edward," he murmured quietly as he scooted on out the door.

I turned back to Bella, ready to apologize to her for Emmett's behavior, and froze. The straps that were supposed to be tethered behind Bella's neck were loose and hanging over her chest. I continued to look down, more horrified by what I saw. My hand was on her bare thigh, holding it up over my waist.

Perhaps it _wasn't_ a good idea to let the man inside of me take control.

I swallowed, and gently set her leg back down before pulling her away from the door, turning her around and quickly tying her dress back up so no one else could see.

If I could have blushed, I was sure I would be out-blushing Bella. I finished, and leaned in close to her, over her shoulder.

"You do look beautiful, though," I whispered.

Perhaps later was a better time for our antics. Perhaps later… perhaps never, I reasoned with myself. It was too dangerous.

I moved over to the cupcakes and looked at them. I watched Bella move out of the corner of my eye. She walked to the oven and started it up while I gathered the batter dejectedly in my hands and re-mixed it.

I set the bowl down, and watched her drop a paper cup into the tray. Her fingers were so elegantly tapered, the way they handled the pieces of paper… I shook my head and picked up the bowl and began spooning the batter into the liners.

Once finished, Bella slipped away to hunt down some icing while I put the cupcakes into the oven. I sighed softly, waiting for her to return. I leaned against the counter, still interested in the idea of finishing what Emmett interrupted earlier.

_But is it safe,_ I thought. It had seemed so at the time. I seemed to be in control. But she had wound up in a situation I could not recall putting her in, and that frightened me.

So many things could've gone wrong; I could have held her wrist too tightly and broken it, I could have completely dislocated her hip, or twisted her spine. I could have-

"Here," she said, walking back in with the icing. I picked up the spatula and dipped it into the remaining icing and glossed it neatly over the top of the cooled cupcakes from earlier.

As I finished with one, Bella dropped some sprinkles onto the surface, creating a colorful mosaic. I smiled, and mischievously tossed a ball of icing her way. It landed perfectly on her arm, just as I intended it to. I chuckled and went back to icing as she licked it off. I don't believe she noticed as I watched her through the corner of my eye.

Just out of humor, I flicked another one. Same reaction. Wide-eyed gasp, the flush to the cheeks. I smiled, and did it a third time. This one landed squarely on her arm. I watched as she swiped it up with her finger, but I did not see what was coming next.

Bella planted her finger right on my lips, laying the glob of icing on my skin. I just stared at her, surprised she would do something like that. Not that I was at all guiltless, but it still took me by surprise.

"You have to clean that up, you know," I informed her matter-of-factly.

"Oh do I?"

I smirked and nodded at her in answer. I watched her with muted curiosity as she pushed our cupcakes aside and crawled onto the countertop. Sitting down, she stretched her arms out and reached for me. Confused, I stepped closer to her.

"With pleasure," she purred.

Much to my complete astonishment, she leaned in and kissed me. Licked the icing off of my lips, she put her tongue back in her mouth. It was only after my body untensed that I realized I had been tense to begin with. Her tongue had left, but her lips had not.

I wrapped my arms around her small body, pulling the warm bundle closer to me. I did not want to be without my Bella. Her arms wrapped around me as well, as if she wished we could be even closer.

I heard Esme approach, and the front door open. I tried not to sigh – I would have much to explain to her tonight. Bella's warm lips reminded me that I had far more important things to attend to at the moment, and I was quickly drawn back into the folds of her kiss.

"Don't go in there, Esme. Bella's decorating Edward's cupcakes," Emmett's voice muttered. I growled. He had no right to talk about Bella that way. I started to pull away to go face him, but Bella's hands on my shirt pulled me closer. She didn't seem to mind. Perhaps, then, neither did I. Neither did I.


End file.
